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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24404260">beneath the winter sky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxsnailxx/pseuds/xxsnailxx'>xxsnailxx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arranged Marriage, Fluff, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Kinda, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, basically a romcom, loki is obsessed with gardening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:01:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,626</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24404260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxsnailxx/pseuds/xxsnailxx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which a marriage is arranged and both parties attempt to elope — coincidentally, with each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Loki/Thor (Marvel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>241</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>the muse does as it does. had this ridiculous idea for the arranged marriage trope and thorki seemed like the best pairing for it, as much as i've avoided writing for this fandom because there's just so many canons to take into account. i'm disregarding all of them as the muse sees fit.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thor son of Odin, Crown Prince of the Realm Eternal, Protector of the Nine Realms, had believed his idyllic days of adventures and indulgences were many a year still from coming to an end. The Allfather's throne was as secure as ever, and the god himself was whole and hale, still (discounting, of course, the eye he lost to Laufey-King of Jotunheim). True, as the crown prince, his duties were growing with each passing century, but his presence and input at court was hardly expected at any definition of ‘often’, and each of his friends were more warriors than diplomats or strategists. He had barely seen the end of his first millennium. By all measures, the day he was to sit upon Hlidskjalf was a long way yet from arriving.</p><p>He should not have been expected to wed before his seat upon the throne was firm — he'd be King himself, and free to choose his own Queen. That much, the Allfather had once promised he would do his best to ensure.</p><p>(All the Realms knew the Allfather's best could not match the force of nature that was the Allmother. And Thor should have, too.)</p><p>"Darling," Frigga had said, "we're going on a trip to Jotunheim. Have the staff pack for cold weather." And that had been the end of Thor's youth.</p><p>They (that is to say, the Queen, Thor, and a small, inoffensive party of attendants) traveled to the Observatory on foot. The horses, the Queen had said, could not possibly enjoy Jotunheim's weather. Thor saw through the manipulation easily for what it was when she spent the journey singing praises of Farbauti-Queen of Jotunheim and her first-born, Loki, who was fairest and cleverest of all, who wielded more than just the magic of the ice, and who was to be Loki-Queen of Asgard.</p><p>"You'll love him," Frigga assured Thor.</p>
<hr/><p>Where his brothers were mighty and fearsome, Loki was sly and beautiful, but no less respected and loved. He had long been excluded from the line of succession to his father's throne, but he knew the role he was to play was no less important than theirs.</p><p>That did not mean he was any less unwilling.</p><p>When, just a millennium ago, his mother had birthed him, the seeresses had seen that he could be the one to pave the way for Jotunheim's return to its glory. Having found and wishing to protect the hope for the realm's future, his father had surrendered to Asgard's forces and allowed Odin passage to Mimir's Well.</p><p>(And if Loki's first act had been tricking Odin into picking him up, and subsequently freezing his eye off, well, that had only reinforced the Jotnar's belief that he was meant for great things.)</p><p>His mission, Loki had been told all his life, was to gain the love of the other realms, so they would respect and love all of Jotunheim once again.</p><p>As soon as his brothers could walk, they had been assigned to the training grounds. Loki had been — and still was — allowed to squander his time in the library, or his greenhouse, or the throne room, or court, or wherever it might please him to.</p><p>For as long as Loki had existed, he had been free. On the condition, of course, that his marriage would be Jotunheim's salvation. Still, he resented that his freedom should be so short-lived.</p><p>Presently the light of the Bifrost cut through the clouds of Jotunheim's eternal winter, signalling the arrival of the Aesir company, including his <em> betrothed</em>. Loki scoffed.</p><p>Loki might have a name known by all the Jotnar, spoken of in their tales and legends and prophecies, and a goodly number of elves and the Vanir knew of him, but Thor was known throughout all the Realms, for being a brute more brutish than any other. Celebrated for his raw power and mocked for his lack of forethought, all agreed his Council had their work cut out for them. And now Loki was to be his <em> Queen.</em></p><p>Oh, how he loved the idea. Should his King squander his days away from his court, adventuring and drinking and sleeping his way through the Realms, Loki as Queen could essentially rule Asgard and all its territory.</p><p>But <em> oh</em>, how he would hate it all. The mundane aspects of rule were not unknown to him. He would have to suffer the Council and Asgard's court and yield still to the whims of the boor.</p><p>Ah, but he had dreamt too far ahead. This betrothal had but just begun. His betrothed was on his way to paying court to his family for the first time, and it was not yet the season for them to even meet. In truth Loki knew not why his presence was required at the palace when his parents had taken such pains to ensure he and the oaf were not to cross paths lest they offend the Norns' delicate sensibilities with the sheer audacity and impropriety of meeting one's betrothed before they had received all the necessary blessings.</p><p>"Do <em> not </em> leave your room," Laufey reminded him once more before he left to greet their Asgardians. The door shut behind Laufey, melting into the wall and solidifying again.</p><p>Loki scoffed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>short and sweet chapters with quick updates is how i'm envisioning this one to go. shouldn't be any longer than 5k words in total but the muse insists on cutting the chapter here. maybe just so i can leave this with a note that goes:</p><p>hah, laufey doesnt really expect loki to honour the rules of his own betrothal does he</p><p>originally planned to write this from only thor's pov but i couldn't resist</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which a greenhouse is introduced.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The procedures of the day were unspeakably dull, to say the least. Thor spent most of his day sitting quietly as his mother the Queen engaged in smalltalk with Farbauti-Queen. He spent the evening meal eating quietly while his mother the Queen discussed his betrothal with Laufey-King, in the same manner trade discussions were oft held.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When night (which, he learnt quickly, lasted three times as long as day on this strange frozen wasteland) had well and truly fallen, his mother the Queen finally let him out of her immediate presence. "Be good," she warned, "and pray do not offend our hosts." As if he were wont to do such a thing. Nay, all loved him readily and were wilfully blind to his faults.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For however much it might be worth, Thor did follow his Jotun guide to his assigned quarters, fully intending to stay there until he was called for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"These quarters were chosen by Loki-Prince himself," the guide informed him. "They boast of the most wondrous view our palace has to offer. We hope it is to your liking. You must call for us if you should require anything."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor agreed doubtfully (for how could any part of this land boast of having much of a view?) and dismissed the guide before closing himself in the room. It looked… warm, relatively. Its furnishings were simple but elegant, as was the style of the rest of the palace, and included a small fireplace (Thor doubted it functioned at all) and many furs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But his gaze was drawn almost immediately to the wall across the room. Rather than frosted ice, like the other walls were, the whole wall was clear as the Asgardian sky in summer. And the promised view… He approached the wide window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the distance Thor could see mountains that seemed far more treacherous than even the flame-spitting ranges of Muspelheim. He could see, scattered across the vast wasteland, the citadels and towers of ice in small clusters each of not more than five. And nearer — far nearer — within the palace grounds themselves, he saw a small building. Its walls and roofs were clear as the window he gazed from — he knew, for he could see through it to the snow that lay beyond — and yet he could not see within. It stood tall but its entrance had not the width nor height Thor had come to expect of Jotunheim's structures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the scant moonlight, the building seemed to glow in a manner more beguiling than the snow and frost. Thor found himself inexplicably curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The snow had ceased falling.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>It had taken Loki no less than a minute after his father had left him, to morph into a bird and fly around the palace to his greenhouse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, <em>his</em> greenhouse.</span>
  <span> There stood before its entrance a sign that warned trespassers away on pain of death. The other Jotnar simply had not Loki's green thumb. And they had the terrible tendency of trampling everything down. When Loki had first brought a winter plant back from Alfheim with plans to raise it in the palace's plentiful, infertile grounds, the plant had not lasted half a day before being crushed, multiple times, beneath the giant brothers' feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, he knew the blame fell not on them, for one could no more be blamed for stepping upon an inanimate object no larger than one's toenail, than for losing sight of the sun on Jotunheim's stormiest days. But he had taken great pains to transport the plant in his own hands, search for a spot from which it could see the rare rays of the sun, and feed the snow his very own blood in hopes of providing for his seedling, only for it all go to waste in an instant. Naturally, he had had to try again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had taken several more such ventures before he had erected a building, and many more before he learnt to shape it right to amplify both sun's and moon's light for a variety of plants, to keep the frost out of imported soil, to fertilise his plants with the mineral-filled snow of the mountains. He had also taken many years to successfully channel a hotspring from the mountains that regulated the temperature for his more warmth-loving plants, which also functioned as a decorative fountain and a supply of mineral-filled melted snow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loki's greenhouse now housed a veritable garden, complete with grown autumn-plants and spring-plants, and a handful of summer-plants that never seemed to become more than seedlings, and he would </span>
  <em>
    <span>slaughter</span>
  </em>
  <span> any giant who dared step into this safehouse and onto his plants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His protectiveness might have left him in a vexing predicament, Loki mused when he had fed his plants melted snow and he sat by his fountain, watching the refracted violet rays of the moon bless his plants, for now he had a garden that was wholly </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> and beautiful; a garden that should go down in history books and legends, as yet another of Loki Eye-Freezer's legacies. He had a garden that was, in a word his father despised, </span>
  <em>
    <span>revolutionary</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and no one to share it with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he would have to leave it all behind, soon.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>They'll meet, veeeeery soon.</p><p>The two halves of the chapter were supposed to be of equal length, but Loki never stops gushing about his garden. I love his garden now, and I'm currently drafting plans to transport his garden to Asgard or something. I also need more fics of Loki as an obsessive gardener.</p><p>kinda tempted to change the work summary to "in which loki has magic but he uses it all for gardening" or "in which loki doesnt give birth to a thousand monsters because he has his plant babies instead". it's just such a loki move, i think, to be living on a tundra and decide that he'll spend his whole life growing trees.</p><p>also, yes, loki does not know the word "water"</p><p>it occured to me halfway through writing this that the title may or may not be inspired by the line from frozen ii's 'some things never change' that goes: it's time to count our blessings beneath the autumn sky</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which they meet and actually speak words.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thor Odin's son, worthy wielder of Mjolnir, God of Thunder, and one of Asgard's mightiest warriors, did not <em> sneak </em> anywhere, not even — <em> especially not </em> — in enemy territory. What he did do was discover a way to slide the window of his assigned quarters open and fly, shamelessly and undisguised, down to the strange little building — and if he should have flown a path that happened to involve making a full round about the palace to avoid the line of sight of any windows, well, he <em> was </em> in enemy territory.</p><p>What Thor of Asgard did do included also these: <em> a, </em> wrap himself in the furs provided by the Jotuns rather than his own brazen red cape; <em> b </em> , pause by the entrance of the strange building to read the sign: <em> Property of Loki, trespassers shall know nothing past the pain of being torn to pieces by Nidhogg</em>; <em> c </em>, enter the little building anyway, his heart curious.</p><p>(What Thor of Asgard absolutely did not do: grin at the sign and feel his heart melt, just a little, despite the raging cold of Jotunheim's night.)</p><p>As he stepped into the building, Thor son of Frigga the Goddess of the Gardens Eternal herself, felt his breath catch, for in this barren land of winter, he smelled spring and tasted autumn, and saw leaves and flowers showered in the violet moonlight, and heard the sound of rushing water, and felt the warmth and humidity of a green forest. There was a <em> garden </em> on Jotunheim. Thor took another step into the building in awe, towards an actual tree, and was reaching towards its trunk when he heard another sound.</p><p>"Halt."</p><p>He turned towards the source and saw a figure crouched upon the fountain, hand in the pool beneath it. It was Aesir-sized, and wore more clothes than any of Jotunheim's warriors or servants, but even in the exiguous and coloured light he could see that it was no Aesir. Thor watched as the pool froze over and an ice-blade was pulled from it and brandished at him (he took it not as a threat, for the not-giant was a yard away yet, and, Thor figured, either child or a maiden, or both).</p><p>"Speak your purpose here, Asgardian."</p><p>So it did not <em> sound </em> like a child, or a maiden, but surely it was not grown or a man, either. The Jotnar were not much known for interspecies breeding, for obvious reasons, but perhaps…?</p><p>It snarled. "I see the rumours of Asgard's great wits were not exaggerated. Your trespass shall be overlooked this once, but do inform the Asgardian party that the sign outside this greenhouse threatens death to all uninvited guests."</p><p>Thor braved a step towards the not-giant. "Does that apply also to Thor-Crown Prince, God of Fertility and betrothed of Loki-Prince? That does not seem to be the perfect hospitality Jotunheim boasts of."</p><p>The not-giant crouched lower, prepared to leap. "It applies to all who are uninvited, especially His Royal Highness, who should know better than to intrude upon the privacy of his betrothed at this early stage of the courtship." Its blade shifted slightly and caught the light of the moon upon the smooth, sharp edge.</p><p>Thor raised his hands in a placating manner, glad that Mjolnir was well hidden beneath the furs. "It's just that this garden is too beautiful for me to simply leave and forget it. I must tell the other Asgardians of it, and the Crown Prince and my Queen would surely desire to see this themselves. Loki-Prince has done wondrous work here."</p><p>Thor knew not for sure why he told not his identity to the strange not-giant, but he was glad of it when it hissed, "Thor-Prince must not be allowed here. It would be improper should he chance upon Loki-Prince."</p><p>Ought Loki-Prince to be allowed to roam the palace at this time? Thor was sure Laufey-King had assured them Thor would not chance upon him this visit. Ah, but this garden was to be out of bounds for Thor, and he would not be so cruel as to suggest his betrothed be confined to his rooms, or kept away from this garden in which it was clear he had put much effort, for Loki-Prince was known even by Thor to be something of a free spirit.</p><p>Still, Loki-Prince was not here this night, and Thor was loath to leave this sanctuary. He was sure he heard a bird chirp. In earnest, he requested, "If you tend to this garden you must tell me more about these plants and the building. How do they survive in this weather? The light, is that natural? For the sky did not seem nearly so purple when I was outside. And surely my memory does not deceive me but I would swear I see a spring-flower and an autumn-plant—"</p>
<hr/><p>The moon was far above and its light nearing white when Loki realised what he was doing.</p><p>He had spent a whole third-night explaining all the work that went into making his greenhouse inhabitable for a variety of plants, none native to Jotunheim, and how 'his Prince' had acquired each of the seeds, to an <em>Asgardian</em> guard, and he had enjoyed himself. The Asgardian was a good listener (though he <em>did</em> <em>not listen</em> when Loki had told him to leave), and he <em>knew</em> plants.</p><p>He asked questions that showed the depth of his knowledge of botany, that he knew there was more to it than burying a seed and hoping it sprouted. He shared what he knew about his Queen's gardens (<em>t</em><em>he </em> Gardens!!) and how their methods differed, and they discussed the possibility of adapting certain practices for either gardens. And, most importantly, he was appropriately <em> awed </em> at almost every aspect of the garden, that the garden existed at all, at Loki's devotion to it.</p><p>And Loki… Loki had discussed plants before. He had learnt about every plant he had, and many he did not have, from experts of botany on other Realms. He had even discussed his garden with others, and had sought advice from them. But those conversations had always been more about <em> their </em> plants and <em> their </em> gardens, or what he <em> would </em> do for his garden; never about what he <em> had </em> done for his garden, and never, never about, simply, his garden. About his garden's beauty, about its ingenuity, about the peace and calm it brought visitors, about what it could mean for all of Jotunheim.</p><p>The only creatures who had ever set foot in his garden were himself, and a few birds and insects hatched safely in its warmth, and his earthworms (though those could hardly be said to set foot anywhere, for they had no feet).</p><p>… And now, apparently, this strange Asgardian guard who surely knew plants as well as he knew battle.</p><p>(Would that his betrothed, too, knew more than battle and vices.)</p><p>Loki's mouth was suddenly dry, and he took a drink from his fountain. The heat of the melted snow did little to clear his head.</p><p>"What manner of a creature are you?" the Adgardian asked, carefully. As he should, for that was the first question not strictly regarding gardens and botany.</p><p>This was a line Loki should not cross, not with a strange Asgardian who was so different from the brute of a warrior he was to marry, who had bright eyes and a contagious laugh and a love for plantlife, who loved <em> Loki's </em> garden.</p><p>Ah, but if Loki were in the habit of doing half the things he <em> should</em>, he would have removed the Asgardian from his sanctuary a third-night ago.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>a third-night is somewhere between 2.5 to 3 hours. loki is already so far gone lol</p><p>i'm not entirely sure why no one has thought to mention to thor that, btw, his betrothed is small for a frost giant, but we'll assume they assumed he'd already heard of him</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the lies that have been told are built upon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For two days, Thor was led on a tour around the palace and Jotunheim's capital. He learnt much of the Jotnar's culture and legends, of their architecture and arts, of their politics and people, of their food and beasts. His guide was patient and a good speaker.</p><p>(His guide had not the exuberant passion and endearing enthusiasm of Leif the runt, caretaker of the greenhouse. His guide had not the same eloquence, and his hands did not speak as much or as quickly as his voice.)</p><p>Thor, Heir to Hlidskjalf, Asgard and all its Realms, heeded Leif's pleas, and he did not return to the greenhouse on the second night. On the third night, the moon shone especially bright and full, and Thor son of Frigga had to see the garden beneath this light.</p><p>He left Mjolnir behind, this time, so he could shed his furs in the relative warmth of the greenhouse, and feel upon his skin a calm humidity that did not sting like the winds outside.</p><p>(Thor betrothed of Loki-Prince did not feel a stab a disappointment when he entered the greenhouse and saw not a shadow of Leif the runt.)</p><p>He sat by the fountain and listened to the birds. He gazed upon the roof and admired its careful slant, the way it directed precious rays of moonlight towards the plants. He took a stroll about the garden, and thought upon the strategic placement of the shrubs — the way the sprouting summer-plants were kept warm by the fountain, and the winter-plants where moon would shine upon only an hour at a time, and yet more he could not see the logic behind but knew to be right, for the plants thrive and sing the praises of Loki-Prince.</p><p>Thor, the Warrior-Prince beloved of the Aesir, stood surrounded by the evidence of his betrothed's genius and strength of will, and prayed his passion would be half as captivating as that of his garden's caretaker.</p><p>It was many minutes later that he turned towards the fountain and saw Leif the runt seated by it and gazing forlornly upon the pool.</p>
<hr/><p>According to Loki's father, his betrothed cared little for the engagement. He said Thor had expressed his wish for a long engagement, and his opinion that they were both too young to be tied down with the burdens of building a new family, that they had much to learn about the responsibilities that would come with ruling. That he doubted Loki wished to move to Asgard any time soon.</p><p>Loki agreed and disagreed with all of that in equal measures on principle.</p><p>He also cared little for getting married off so young, but that did not stop him from reeling in offense that a fool of a man who had not even met him would object to marrying him. (His reputation preceded him and he was the most eligible bachelor on Jotunheim and beyond! Thor should be <em> excited </em> to meet him.) He was not overly eager to begin their rule himself, but it frustrated him nonetheless that his betrothed would shirk responsibility for as long as possible in favour of adventuring. (Furthering his studies would be a far more productive use of his remaining years of freedom than fighting beasts that others could be sent to slay would ever be. And that was where they differed.) And, of course, he did not want to leave his plants and his family behind to move to a Realm that entirely <em> other </em> and inhabited by a species that disliked his on principle, nevermind that they had <em> plants </em> and he was to be their Queen. That did not mean Thor would-be-King had any right to <em> infer </em> so when they had yet to meet.</p><p>It was all right for Loki to be uncertain, for uncertainty was a part of Loki — he thought too much and studied the arcane and did things no-one else thought to do and wielded chaos like the Jotnar wielded the ice.</p><p>Thor was supposed to be the Warrior-Prince. He was supposed to be simple and sure, strong and sturdy, a literal tower of strength with insufficient brains to feel <em> fear </em> . That was supposed to be his role, but apparently Thor had decided to worry and be uncertain. <em> That </em> was Loki's job and he had no right to attempt it.</p><p>Loki wanted, so badly, to fly away.</p><p>He flew, instead, to his fountain. (It was no hardship at all to fly through an ice wall of his own making.) Here, the melted ice was as clear as he could only wish his mind would be.</p><p>He had barely begun to immerse himself in the scent of his plants, the sound of his fountain and the ripples across the pool when he was startled.</p><p>"Leif?" It was the Asgardian again. Must they be so intrusive? "You seem… upset?"</p><p>Ah, an invitation to rant. Loki loved those. "I worry for my Prince," he said, for he knew the Asgardian (he had not said his name, and Loki was hardly going to <em> ask </em>) would ask questions, and Loki did not want to divulge more than he wished to hear.</p><p>The Asgardian crossed the distance between them, and, too, sat by the fountain. "He has not seen his thousandth name-day," he observed. "Does he also feel unprepared?"</p><p>"Naturally, for who ever feels ready for marriage? Nay, that is something one must leap into." Loki tossed a pebble into the fountain in demonstration. Then he shook his head and sighed. "I worry that he would never grow to love your Prince, and that your Prince would never love him. A loveless marriage is not what I wish for him, even if the Norns themselves say Jotunheim will prosper with the marriage."</p><p>"My Prince is easy to love."</p><p>"For warriors and Asgardians, I have no doubt. My Prince does not love easily, and he cares little for the brute strength and recklessness your Prince is renowned for. It will not be easy for them."</p><p>The Asgardian looked at Loki, expression thoughtful. Solemnly, he confessed, "I, too, fear my Prince would not grow to love Loki-Prince."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>would like to make it clear that the word 'runt' is used in the most inoffensive way possible</p><p>they were supposed to meet in thor's pov but loki wanted another thinking/panicking scene. they're never going to meet in thor's pov because loki will always need to think beforehand</p><p>stop thinking, loki</p><p>(also thor is so far gone)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Thor… thinks...?(???) And also Loki.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was daybreak and Leif the runt had long gone home.</p><p>Thor stood alone amongst the shrubs. These bushes the Gardens Eternal had also and Thor had slept in them. He could see the branches, cut off where Leif had trimmed them earlier. He wondered how much of this garden was truly Loki-Prince, and how much was Leif.</p><p>(He recalled climbing onto his mother's vanity, looking at himself closely in the mirror, and squinting at his parents' wedding portrait that hung in the background. He recalled comparing their eyes, noses, ears and fingers, and deciding he looked far more like his father than his mother. He recalled, many years later, thinking to himself that his brother Balder the Shining One had both his mother's looks and disposition. He recalled his mother's reassurances that who he took after mattered far less than that he was<em> theirs.</em>)</p><p>What was this garden, if not the love-child Loki-Prince and Leif? It might have been entirely the prince's conception, but Leif's role in growing and maintaining it, and his devotion to it, were plain to see. And it was <em> theirs</em>.</p><p>There was no justification for the pang of jealousy he felt, but Thor knew well its cause. He had never been in love before, but he knew what this was.</p><p>As he walked through the palace grounds and to his assigned quarters, he found himself wondering idly if Leif would be opposed to building a new garden, with Thor.</p><hr/><p>Some time around mid-day, Loki's father entered his room, and made a show of widening his eyes fractionally, as if he were surprised to see Loki there. As if Loki were foolish enough to be absent when he visited for his daily post-mid-day meal rant.</p><p>"Your Asgardian," his father began, as he was wont to do (and Loki thought to himself that, if any Asgardian were his, he would wish it to be the strange one who loved plants), "declared today that surely the beauty of Loki-Prince could not truly compare to that of Frigga-Queen's, for he had not heard so many tales of it. When your brother — you know which one — took offense, your Asgardian demanded to be allowed to spar with both your brothers, simultaneously, to prove himself a worthy suitor for your hand."</p><p>"You forbade it, of course," Loki said.</p><p>"Of course. It would not do for you to have to wed Thor One-Hand, One-Foot and No-Eye." His father smiled (in a manner Loki would describe as 'indulgent' but an Asgardian may call 'malignant'). "I bade him imagine the horrors my warrior-sons are capable of, when my sorcerer-son as an infant is, to date, the only being known to have wreaked lasting damage upon his warrior-father in close combat.</p><p>"Apparently, the Asgardians were so ashamed, their children are taught instead that Odin sacrificed his eye willingly for a drink from Mimir's Well." He waved off Loki's indignant protests. "In any case, your betrothed and his party are now thoroughly disillusioned and adequately terrified of you. He retreated uncharacteristically promptly after the meal.</p><p>"I fear we may have lost you your husband," his father teased conspiratorially.</p><p>"If only," Loki sighed. "This time tomorrow you may be listening to his boasts of his feats as an infant."</p><p>"Perhaps he shall make an attempt on my eye," his father agreed, "for a kill from within the mammoth's belly is a kill to be celebrated nonetheless."</p><p>Later, when his father had left, Loki wondered if he should, perhaps, ask the Asgardian his name, if only so he would be able to seek out tolerable company when he eventually moved to Asgard.</p><p>(He tried not to wonder if the Asgardians would consent to leaving the one guard behind, if only so he could have company his size without having to leave the Realm.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>poor thor x)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the beginnings of a crazy plan to meet and run away together<s>, get married in the first town they came to, and live forever</s> is hatched.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On the fourth night, Leif asked, "Why do you return?" And Thor thought of the darkness of Leif's hair — which might have been black, or indigo, or perhaps a dark mahogany — whose colour he desired to see beneath the daylight. He thought of the eyes he knew to be crimson like any other Jotun's but had seen the moon lure out so many different shades of, of the sparkle in them when he spoke of the different compositions of snow required by the plants, of their intensity that bespoke the depths of his passion. He thought of the cheekbones and jaw that were sure sharper than the sharpest ice-blade, of how he would cut his thumbs tracing the pale lines that creeped across them if only he dared display such impertinence. He thought of the laughs he had heard, and the many more he craved to coax out, and how he would be glad to drown in them if it meant he would never see the gates of Valhalla.</p><p>He thought of each attractive trait of Leif's he had seen and heard (but not felt or smelled or tasted), but he thought also of the loneliness Leif must usually be subject to, an Aesir-sized gardener in a land of giant warriors. And he thought of the life that lay ahead for the giantling when Thor would wed his only companion. An eternity tending to a garden whose owner was elsewhere, whose sole admirer was himself.</p><p>His eyes met Leif's with surety, and he said, "To see you."</p><p>Leif's demeanor softened, and the corners of his lips turned up. (And Thor thought, if he were to offer him a flower now, surely Leif would flush like any beautiful maiden. Thank the Norns he knew better than to pick a flower from this garden.) He shook his head and stood from where he had been perched by the fountain. "You spoil me, Asgardian." He offered Thor a sad smile. "It would not do to grow used to your presence."</p><hr/><p>Loki had been contemplating leaving the palace — to visit one of Vanaheim's forests — after seeing to his plants when the Asgardian returned to his greenhouse. He did not seem overly interested in Loki's plants or the structure of his greenhouse tonight, for he instead approached Loki by the fountain with a smile. And Loki was, just a little, glad for his companionship.</p><p>Then the Asgardian expressed his wish to make full use of the time he could spend with his 'friend Leif' and Loki remembered with a pang that he had not before had a true (or, as true a friend as one could be with whom names had not truly been exchanged) runt-sized friend in Jotunheim. He had a whole childhood worth of things in Jotunheim he had dreamt of sharing with one his size. And he told himself he would delay his journey till the Asgardian party had left.</p><p>When the moon was at its highest, they sat upon a bench Loki had shaped from frosted ice and watched the rays of the moon bounce from his fountain's flowing melted ice (or "water", as the Asgardian termed it) and dance all over his greenhouse, bathing it in a trembling light show. He felt eyes upon him, and turned to meet the Asgardian's gaze.</p><p>"I wish our time together does not have to end so quickly," the Asgardian said. "You would surely be better suited to a great variety of activities on Asgard than on Jotunheim."</p><p>Though his heart thumped at the invitation, Loki laughed. "Such as swinging a great axe beneath the hot sun?"</p><p>"Perhaps not that, precisely, but you could be anything you want. Is gardening what you truly wish to do?"</p><p>"It is what I know." And that sounded sad, even to Loki's ears, so he added, "I could not leave for Asgard alone. They see me as a child still, here. And who would care for this greenhouse?" The Asgardian looked so disappointed that Loki tried, "Could you not stay in Jotunheim? It is known that the warriors of Asgard enjoy their adventures."</p><p>"Aye, we do. But our service is to the King, and we must return with trophies to show for it. I could not stay in this greenhouse and call it an adventure."</p><p>Loki saw a loophole, and so, to his own immediate and immense mortification, blurted out, "Journey with me to Vanaheim." And he would have taken it back instantly if not for the Asgardian's even quicker response:</p><p>"Yes."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>god this was so difficult to write. the conversation could have gone so many ways that didnt end with them running away at first light so i spent forever convincing thor not to try too hard to smuggle loki back with him. i was writing this chapter when i began posting and only just finished it :')</p><p>thor: "well you can come here as loki's servant when he gets married"<br/>me: "THAT DOESNT MAKE SENSE STOP IT"<br/>thor: "i will stay here for all eternity even if it will offend the norns"</p><p>why must he be so difficult<br/>but it's cute how thor thinks loki is aesir-sized and loki thinks thor is runt-sized</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which they prepare to ride off into the sun(sun? what sun?)rise.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this one's just a short transition before it actually starts. i wanted to post this with the next chapter but 9 is taking too long x)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Thor, the most excited man in all the Realms, returned to his assigned quarters, he did three things:

</p><p>The first: Did a little war-dance.

</p><p>The second: Wrote a letter while rambling on (incessantly) to Mjolnir about how adorable the children he and Leif would have would be.

</p><p>The third: Kept Mjolnir within a case with furs and dressed for cold weather.

</p><p>It occurred to him then that he really ought to tell Leif who he truly was. He did not enjoy lying, and it would not be fair to court Leif properly if he knew not what he was accepting.

</p><p>But first they must leave the palace behind. It would not do for Leif to change his mind so soon.

</p><p>He read through the letter quickly.

</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>My dearest Mother, Goddess of the Gardens Eternal and the most beautiful being alive,

</p>
  <p>It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission — this engagement is proof of that. I must ask that you annul it and grant Jotunheim its boons nevertheless, for I have fallen in love with a Jotun I intend to wed.

</p>
  <p>I will not name him until our marriage has been officiated by a priest, for I worry trouble may find him for stealing — for want of a better word — Loki-Prince's betrothed. I wish you to know my beloved is a servant of Loki-Prince whom he loves dearly. He has assured me of Loki-Prince's reluctance to be wed to me. My beloved knows not my name, and I am certain that if he knew he would discourage my attentions in hopes I would direct them towards his prince instead.

</p>
  <p>I will wed for love and trust you want this also for me. Do send my well-wishes to Loki-Prince. I hope he too will find a more suitable partner.

</p>
  <p>Yours,<br/>
Thor</p>
</blockquote><p>Satisfied, he folded the parchment and scribbled a note instructing the servant who would find the letter to deliver it to the Allmother.</p><hr/>
<p>The customary note Loki left pinned to his door was simple:

</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Vanaheim<br/>Will return before the moon leaves us fully<br/>Brought an Asgardian guard</p>
</blockquote>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>it's already more than 5k words i'm sorry i lied</p>
<p>or actually i didn't. it's just that getting them to elope reasonably was too difficult so they went on an adventure instead. like, thor is already there™ but loki...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the eloping finally happens (on Thor's side, at least) and Loki wages a war against boredom.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There were few relatively concealed landmarks on the palace grounds, so they had agreed to meet in the greenhouse. Thor was leaning against a tree when he saw Leif approach the entrance with their mount. A large white bear whose shoulders when it stood upon four legs were so high they were almost out of reach. Fit for giants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor, the Greatest Warrior of Asgard, was greatest also in stature and mass. He had not sat upon a proper mount since growing into his strength, choosing instead to fly with Mjolnir and have his goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr pull his chariot when he must. He had not thought before that surely the giants must have steeds more than capable of bearing him and at great speeds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Thor stepped out into the cold, Leif uttered a command that had the bear dropping flat onto its belly. With an inviting grin, Leif clambered onto the bare back of the bear from which what must be his baggage was hung. He slid backwards so his legs rested against the bear's hind legs, and gestured for Thor to climb aboard. He did, though he elected to keep the case with Mjolnir upon his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hold fast," Leif warned him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor looked back and saw Leif had leaned forward, and was grasping onto the bear's fur with both his hands and — Thor stifled a laugh — his bare feet. "Is that necessary? I fear my toes would freeze off."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Worry not," Leif assured him, "for Sleipnir is the smoothest ride you'll ever find on Yggdrasil. Loki-Prince trained him himself." He patted the bear where he held it, and the bear rose to its great height.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Thor grasped the fur at the scruff of Sleipnir's neck and they were off.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Loki had opted to take the scenic route, avoiding all settlements and line of sight from the palace. It had not taken more than an hour for the Asgardian brute to doze off, his snores louder even than Fenrir's. He had not lied about Sleipnir's gait, but Loki froze the Asgardian's boots to his furs for good measure nevertheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(He still had not asked his name, but Loki did not make a habit of asking guards' names. They were beneath him, and seldom saw him as a real person anyway. But this guard was different.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his companion asleep, Loki had little to occupy himself with. He resisted for only fifty of Sleipnir's strides before he began to entertain himself by poking at the Asgardian's boot. He melted and reshaped the band securing it to Sleipnir's fur, made it a square, then melted and made it a pentagon. It was an exercise taught to children learning to form ice with precision. Each time a new shape was made, it had a single side more than the previous one, and they had to be perfect — each edge and vertex exactly identical. He made it up to a 16-sided polygon (hexadecagon) before the exercise started becoming pointless as the shape began looking more like a circle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loki unfroze one of the Asgardian's boots. Jotunheim's warriors were as flexible as they were strong, and he wondered if that was the same for Asgard's. So he pulled the guard's leg backwards with one hand while he kept it straight with the other. He had barely got it horizontal when the guard snorted out of his slumber. (He dropped the leg quickly and pretended to be petting Sleipnir.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asgardian shot him a suspicious look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loki widened his eyes innocently. "It wasn't me," he declared vehemently. Maybe a little too vehemently.</span>
</p><p>"My right boot is significantly wetter, colder, and heavier than my left."</p><p>
  <span>"Must have been the snow and winds — do impervious boots not exist on Asgard?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My right sleeve is perfectly dry."</span>
</p><p>"I know not what you imply." This usually worked better when the guards dared not accuse Loki of anything.</p><p>
  <span>Sleipnir snorted.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so i thought thor would be easier to write due to the lack of all the pronoun issues (since sleipnir is 'it' and loki actually has a name) but then thor goes and make sentences like "clamBered upon the Bare Back of the Bear that Bears his Baggages" and i'm leaving both of them in the cold snow :&lt;</p><p>on another note school started today and i'm still midway through writing next chapter so expect updates to slow</p><p>there were initially two bears 'sleip' and 'nir' but i remembered 'theres only one bear' was a trope</p><p>i considered making it a huge wolf and calling it fenrir but hey, ice bear. and we're ignoring the part about bears being the smelliest things ever</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which they set up camp.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"What does Sleipnir eat?" Thor asked as he munched the bread Leif had brought. They had chosen to rest in a cave on mountains. They would not scale them overmuch, Leif had said, for these parts were terribly prone to snowslides and violent storms. They were barely ten Sleipnir strides above the tundra. The bear in question had taken a single step into the cave and fallen asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, anything and everything." At Thor's stare, Leif shrugged and clarified, "Meat."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could not help the grin that spread across his lips. Leif could ramble on about the various types of snow and their effects on various plant species for hours but he did not know what the bear ate. The incongruity of his extensive knowledge in some areas and brazen ignorance and lack of interest in others was supremely endearing, as was the sheer practicality of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leif narrowed his eyes at Thor's good cheer. "Snow bears such as he have been used in war and rewarded with the flesh of Jotunheim's enemies."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he was prickly as a rosebush. That, too, Thor found thoroughly adorable. He ensured his grin made that clear. And if that led to him sleeping alone in a corner while Leif cuddled up with the bear, well, Thor would remember this as the first time he had seen Leif's indignant rage.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>It was not yet daybreak when Sleipnir rose. With his usual gentleness, he nudged Loki off his foreleg (and out of his fur) onto the ground, then proceeded to the other side of the cave where the Asgardian slept alone (with heat stones, because Loki was upset, but not a monster) and breathed heavily on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, Sleipnir</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Loki suppressed a laugh as the Asgardian sputtered awake. "Come," he said, and gestured for Sleipnir also. "Our ride is ready. You may rest more during the journey."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He began Sleipnir's routine pre-journey petting — kneading (and cleaning) his ears, rubbing his forehead, massaging his cheeks and jaw, scratching his chin. He was stroking the scruff of Sleipnir's neck (only downwards, the way he likes it) when he noticed the Asgardian watching him confusedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sleipnir enjoys being petted," Loki snapped. "Make yourself useful. You may start with his rump. Don't," he added, too late, "touch his tail."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sleipnir snorted and, without shaking his head from Loki's grasp, gave the Asgardian a gentle kick that sent him sprawling to the cave floor.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>alternatively: In which Loki's a drama queen, Thor is so whipped and Sleipnir accepts payment in pets.</p><p>no, longer update time doesn't mean longer chapters, sorry T.T i'm so behind on schoolwork it's not even funny anymore :')</p><p>sleipnir hunts for himself. loki knows what he ate as a cub but right now all he knows is literally 'meat'. probably some kind of jotunheim seal or deer or just fish</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which a confession is made</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thor did not sleep this time. Unlike the day before, he did already get a full Asgard-night of (uncomfortable) rest. Still, they journeyed in silence. Without the fascinating garden and its plants and Leif's incessant enthusiasm, there was little to talk about and what was left was a companionable silence. Instead, he watched the terrain as they crossed the neverending white lands.</p><p>Now that he had grown used to it, Thor found the lands were not nearly as plain as he had initially thought. He found that between the masses of land where the settlements were, the freeze was shallower. When the sun rose and the snow thinned, he sometimes caught glimpses of a glint that hinted at ice. Like the ponds of Alfheim that froze in winter. It seemed the bear (or, Leif) was actively avoiding both the settlements and the not-quite-land (though he knew not how thick the ice truly was), and so they traveled exclusively across the lands no-one else would.</p><p>The higher (Thor would have used the word "mountainous" if that would not have left him without words to describe the towering landforms surrounding them that they had not quite scaled) ground they traveled upon experienced weather that was decidedly dreadful. The winds were so strong Thor wondered how the bear kept its footing, and the snowfall so heavy he could barely see, and everything was so cold, Thor could no longer feel his fingers. (Glad though he was for the heat stones Leif had given him, they were simply no match for the vicious snowstorm.)</p><p>Thor was quite certain he was not long from surrendering his pride and asking for another rest in a cave when Sleipnir brought them into a grotto. He had barely registered the change in environment before he was hauled off the mount.</p><p>"Come," said Leif. "Bid Sleipnir farewell. This is as far as he bears us."</p>
<hr/><p>It was night in Vanaheim. Loki decided they should rest in the cave they arrived from until the first of Vahaheim's suns rose. Much as he found its many suns nigh intolerable on a good day, Vanahein's nocturnal predators were more deadly than the heat.</p><p>Having left Sleipnir on the other side of the veil, Loki allowed the Asgardian to rest in the same half of the cave as he did himself. And as they lay basking in the comforting not-quite-warmth of the heat stones, the Asgardian spoke. "Leif, would you be terribly opposed to a courtship with an Asgardian?"</p><p>The uncertainty in his voice was clear to hear. Loki did not turn to look at him. "You are the only Asgardian I care to know," he said instead, and he meant that as both a 'yes' and a 'no'. "But," he said, when he felt the Asgardian was about to ask again, "I have been engaged already. I know not the fortunate brute my parents have chosen for me, but I will do my duty well."</p><p>"I as well," the Asgardian said, and Loki turned to look at him, questioningly. "I am— my father promised I would choose my own bride but my mother sold me off, anyway," he burst out. Then, bitterly, "Like nothing more than a prize stallion."</p><p>This was the first time Loki was witness to the fire that burned within the Asgardian. He felt his lips curve up into a grin. "So you sought to break the engagement by instead binding yourself to me?"</p><p>"No!" the Asgardian exclaimed. "I— yes, but not— I am enchanted with you, Leif." He scrambled to sit up, and gazed at Loki imploringly. "I have not met anyone as beautiful or passionate as you. I have never been so captivated as when you spoke to me of your work, and of Jotunheim. I have not entertained the thought of marrying anyone before you, and now I hardly think of anything but how to steal more time with you." He paused for breath, and seemed to be waiting for something, but when Loki did not speak, he went on, "But if, if you could not marry me, then I would be glad to call you my friend."</p><p>When faced with large volumes of information, Loki sometimes found himself dissociating as his brain picked apart everything and put it all back together to form a diagram that made sense. It did that now, and before he knew he had processed everything, he heard himself say, "You smell of the air on Alfheim before the rain comes."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>oh, god, it's been 2.5months already? time sure flies when you're not updating</p><p>this really wasn't supposed to happen. on the bright side, there's only 3-ish chapters left, and 2 of them are written already. (i just had exams, and i have exams again, ugh.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which some (more) thinking happens and decisions are made.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Thor, the God of Thunder, was not often one for displays of nerves. He had faced the fiercest beasts and turned down the most beautiful princesses without feeling fear. His heart was of Uru and his soul the unwavering power of the sea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor, who could calm the storms and raise typhoons, could do nothing in the face of Jotunheim's fierce winter. Thor, who could make the flowers on Midgard bloom with but a passing thought, had stood in Loki-Prince's greenhouse and discovered he controlled nothing on Jotunheim.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there was nothing quite like remembering the object of your affections had never asked for your name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor knew, of course. He had been complicit in the deception (Allfathers knew that had never been his style) — had instigated it, even, that fateful first night. He had, though without paying it much thought, kept everything he told Leif of himself vague. Half-truths and evasions. But Leif had hardly asked enough for even Thor's abysmal deflection skills to fail. Nevertheless, in the dead of the night, a small, hastily buried, part of him had long suspected Leif knew his identity and was simply playing along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He folded his hands together, fingers laced firmly together. Bit his cheeks. "You have never asked my name," Thor pointed out, bitterly, in response to Leif's nearly-accusation and suspicious stare. (And still he did not volunteer it, but he knew not why.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in the same manner of not-questions and half-answers with which they have spoken of anything vaguely personal, Leif said again, "You are the only Asgardian I care to know." He shrugged. "But you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> Asgardian, are you not? Thor-prince, the sun of Asgard, who is everything the Asgardian ideal is." Then he added, in a murmur more to himself than to Thor, "Perhaps I would not be so opposed to knowing more of you, after all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He offered Thor a smile that was shy, and so sweet (his red eyes so absurdly adorable) that all bitter thoughts and doubtful words flee Thor's mind. They had not returned when Leif's expression closed off suddenly. He scrambled to his feet, wrapping his furs around himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Leif?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The giantling gave Thor a tight (Thor would call it 'cold' but with the frost-blue skin and too-sharp eyes and teeth, could one really call a Jotun warm?) smile — a far cry from the one from just half a moment ago — and said, "Wait here," and was gone.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Loki took a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Watched it freeze the humid air of his refuge. A Jotun was never as cold as when he was angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was. Angry. Very much so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So. His betrothed had run away from courting him, to marry his nonexistent servant runt. Who was, by the way, supposed to be loyal to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. In fact, his betrothed's loyalty should also be to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Why, was the promise of Jotunheim's brightest mind and fairest face insufficient for the almighty Thunderer? (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Or, perhaps</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a voice that sounded like Helblindi piped up, </span>
  <em>
    <span>your beauty was indeed too great</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Loki scoffed.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In any case, Loki doubted Leif was quite so attractive that Thor-Prince could not stand the thought of marrying another. Rather, it was more likely he needed a partner to elope with, and Leif happened to be a convenient and not-undesirable option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So. His betrothed had not only attempted to escape marriage with Loki, he even shamelessly used Loki's alter ego for the process. (Nevermind that Loki would definitely have done the same had his Realm's future not depended so heavily on this marriage,) How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor-Prince's outrageous audacity aside, there was only one proper response to his proposal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With one last huff, Loki spun on his heel and stomped back into the cave. Thor-Prince had better not have left.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I forgot again ugh<br/>I hate it when some story's summary is so good it cuts all the way to the top of the to-do list and before you know it you're doing nothing but reading for ages orz sorry T.T</p><p>One more chapter, then an epilogue (maybe?), and a bonus of the parents being exasperated together</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Thor may be a bit confused</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thor could not have left if he wanted to. When Leif went, he took the light with him. Thor knew not how to activate the portal they came through, nor how to breach the wards the giantling had left behind him. So he resigned himself to waiting in the dark, counting the echoes of the water droplets (water unfrozen, which was at least a relief), and hoping his deception had not offended Leif overmuch.</p><p>He had counted forty twice, and lost count several times more, when he heard soft footsteps from the path which must lead to the mouth of the cave. He looked up, a greeting on his tongue, and paused.</p><p>The space between them had been illuminated by the soft bluish-white glow of a tiny pendant stone hanging from Leif's hand.</p><p>"Thor-Prince," Leif greeted as he approached. "You must wear this." He held it before Thor's eyes, and Thor saw that the stone was in fact shaped like a snowflake, made to scale. When he did not protest, Leif knelt before him, and reached around his neck. He felt an ice-cold touch at the nape of his neck, then Leif pulled back. "This is a promise stone," Leif explained. "We're bound, now." And he flashed a triumphant grin, as if that was not also Thor's plan.</p><p>Thor could only stare at him in wonder. When he reached down to touch the stone, it was pleasantly cool.</p><hr/><p>Every highborn Jotun had one. Loki's was the first snowflake he made. No two snowflakes were the same, not even those born of the same breath or wave of a finger, and the Jotnar believed the first snowflake was especially unique — from it, the creator's identity, past, and future, can all be read. They were private people, and a warrior race besides; few chose to use their first snowflakes as promise stones, and fewer still carried them around everywhere.</p><p>What could Loki say? He was special.</p><p>He was also a master of magic, who knew well the power of symbolism. The first breath of ice, for a promise that will last till the last.</p><p>The Asgardian (Thor-Prince) was admiring the stone, studying it with a fascination that would discomfit Loki if he were foolish enough to believe the other could read snowflake.</p><p>"Let us go," Loki said finally, and Thor-Prince looked up at him, startled. "It is customary to meet my parents now."</p><p> </p><p>He <em> might</em>, Loki reflected, later, when he was faced with Laufey's utterly unimpressed (and Thor-Prince's completely befuddled) expression, have forgotten to mention who his parents were.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I... definitely didn't forget about this. But!! It's done!! Next chapter is the last one, then it's a couple of extra scenes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which they live happily ever after</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Thor son of Odin, King of the Realm Eternal, Protector of the Nine Realms, gently opened the door to the Snow Gardens, and sighed in wonder as he stepped in. The building was the brother of the one in which he had fallen in love — crafted carefully by the same hands, and of the same basic design. But where Loki-Prince's greenhouse housed plants of summer in a land of ice, Loki-Queen's Snow Gardens grew plants of winter in the ever-sunny Asgardian palace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(From the day he accepted the promise stone from Loki Eye-Stealer, as the Jotnar's myths named him, Thor had been immune to the bite of Jotuneheim's cold. In Loki's Snow Gardens, all Thor felt was awe, and love.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had certainly wisened over the centuries, but he did not feel any older than the day he had first stepped into the greenhouse and seen his Queen, crouched upon the fountain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He caught sight of Loki sitting by the snow fountain, and thought, yes, he still felt exactly the same as he did back then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I did some thinking," Thor said, then quickly continued before Loki could make a sharp remark, "are these gardens suitable for animal life?" For the fish and other smaller life forms on Jotunheim, as well as the Sleipnir-sized ones. The air in Loki’s Snow Gardens always seemed to be missing something, when compared to that of Jotunheim. Thor thought he must miss it, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Animals?" Loki snorted. "What use have I for animals? I have suffered more than my share of overly large lumbering fools, thank you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You should not speak that way of your brothers, or Sleipnir."</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>… Although that was how the conversation went, when Thor next visited Loki’s gardens, he was eagerly pounced upon by a large hunting sabertooth. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not</span>
  </em>
  <span> because Loki thought Asgard’s King might enjoy the company of a few more animals, just that he believed the warrior could learn much from the graceful feline hunter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She cannot possibly hunt in Asgard, of course," Loki said, easily skipping over the part where he explained the who, what, why and how. 'There is nothing in these gardens that are carnivore-friendly' and 'So you are expected to deal with the matter of her food,' also went unsaid. After all, how could Loki admit he knew not what cats ate? Not that it was his fault they preferred to eat in hiding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was fairly certain she would not eat his precious plants, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he should have asked for a smaller cat, just to be safe. Or some fish. Sleipnir never ate his flowers when there were fish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does she have a name?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"One of my brothers may know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"... Where did she come from, Loki."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Frigga generously provided me with a list of meat she may find palatable, you can find me here after sundown."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What Loki also left unsaid was this: When Laufey had visited that dawn, he said, as he had every time they had met since Loki became Loki-Queen, "I told you you would enjoy being Queen," and "What did I say about this being a marriage of destiny?" and "You should really place more trust in your dear old sire."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, maybe, perhaps, an eternity later, Loki might one day admit that life as a married being with responsibilities was not all that horrible, and neither was his oaf of a husband.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The end.</p><p>Next update:<br/>7.1 In which the letter and note are discovered<br/>12.1 In which the parents are met<br/>?? May exist if inspiration strikes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Extras</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>In which the letter and note were discovered.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <strong>7.1</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor did not show up for breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga was more embarrassed than worried. With an exasperated smile (rather than a stern look, because she knew Laufey also understood the pain of convincing a stubborn son that this marriage would be good for him), she sent one of her handmaidens to fetch Thor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She came back with a letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Eloped?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” But wherever the Hel did he find a Jotun to elope with? A Jotun? Thor? Elope?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a qualified mother, Frigga would once have sworn her only son would not fall in love with one larger than himself. But the only Jotun anywhere near the palace, anywhere near Thor’s size was…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laufey calmly put his palm flat on the table of ice. “Just one moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Half a minute later, the surface under his palm melted and he reached in, drawing out a piece of leather. The table sealed itself back up. Because the entire palace was constructed with enchanted ice, every member of Jotunheim’s royal family possessed the ability to melt and re-freeze any part of the palace, allowing them to, among other things, shift items around as they pleased. This piece of leather, Laufey explained, he drew from Loki’s door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cannot wait for the day I no longer have to deal with him,” Laufey announced. He leant back with a smile, clearly anticipating giving his troublemaker of a son to Asgard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frigga’s head hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>In which the parents are met.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <strong>12.1</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Laufey stood in front of the palace’s main entrance, arms folded, face cold, towering over Loki, Thor-Prince, Frigga-Queen, and Loki’s nuisance of a guard bear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bear had the nerve to growl at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did I say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you loved me?” Loki tried with his sweetest smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laufey raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I must absolutely marry Thor-Prince,” Loki said, snapping his fingers with a winning smile. “Funny thing, I came to tell you I had the same thought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If they were anyone else, this was the part where Laufey should say, ‘Have you no care for the traditions of our people? Or your own betrothal?’ But Laufey did not believe in pointless questions, and all knew this son of his cared for nothing but his plants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, instead, he said, “If you insist. I suppose you could have picked worse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Frigga caught the look of complete bewilderment on her son’s face and sniggered. She would not admit it aloud, but a part of her looked forward to having a prankster in Asgard’s palace. Asgardians tended to be so terribly dull.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>don't actually trust my projected word count because they may or may not decide to go on an adventure together</p></blockquote></div></div>
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